The menu at Avicolli's Restaurant in Liverpool features most of the traditional dishes you would expect to find in an Italian restaurant. Then there are those that are outside the box.

We visited Avicolli's for dinner on a surprisingly busy Monday night. Despite this we were well taken care of throughout the meal. Our waitress was attentive and brought our food in a timely manner but did not rush us. The entree portions were very generous and we left the restaurant with plenty of leftovers.

We started with Avicolli's spin on meatballs polpette fritte ($6) three fried meatballs in marinara sauce with Parmesan cheese. The meatballs were moist inside and fortunately not greasy. The tangy marinara sauce and salty Parmesan cheese brought out the savory flavor of the meatballs.

We had expected the meatballs to be good but the next appetizer really stole the show.

It was the polenta al forno ($7) polenta in a basil cream sauce topped with mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes. The smooth mild polenta was thoroughly infused with the bright basil flavor of the cream sauce while the fresh tomato kept the dish from being too heavy. The mozzarella on top was baked to a golden brown and gave the polenta more texture and flavor. Avicolli's also offers appetizers like Utica greens ($8), arancini (rice balls) ($7), and fried ravioli ($7).

Our entree course started with the steak pizzaiola ($21) a grilled center cut New York strip steak smothered in a plum tomato sauce with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. The steak, ordered medium rare, was pink and juicy inside with a beefy, grilled flavor. The tart, bold tomato sauce almost marinated the steak but didn't overpower the flavor of the meat. The peppers and onions were slightly crisp and their sweetness contrasted with the acidity of the tomato sauce.

Pizziaola at Avicolli's, 7839 Oswego Road, LiverpoolMary Corbett

We were intrigued by the gnocchi con nochi al forno ($16) a dumpling dish with a chianti cream sauce topped with gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts. The gnocchi was firm but tender while the sauce was a little too salty but otherwise well flavored with Parmesan cheese. The sauce also had added depth from the addition of the chianti and a little spiciness from a liberal amount of cracked pepper. The Gorgonzola on top was browned nicely and the walnuts added a welcome crunch.

Going for a quintessential Italian dish we tried baked lasagna ($12) layered with ricotta cheese, ground beef, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. The lasagna noodles were al dente and the sauce was flavorful. There was also a generous amount of well-seasoned ricotta and ground beef in every layer.

Despite our generous portion we managed to sample two desserts starting with a plain cannoli ($3) filled with a sweet riccota cream studded with chocolate chips. The ricotta cream was a little too sweet but had a smooth texture while the cannoli shell was spiced lightly with cinnamon. We also tried tiramisu ($5) with coffee soaked ladyfingers layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa powder. The strong espresso kept the ladyfingers moist and cut the sweetness of the rich mascarpone.

Avicolli's has an extensive lunch menu, which features much of the dinner menu as well as paninis, burgers, calzones, and a wide variety of pizzas. The restaurant also has a take-out menu that includes pizza, pasta dishes, chicken wings, and more. Avicolli's pizza gained special attention when the restaurant was named as one of the elite eight pizza places in Central New York in a poll done by syracuse.com in 2012.

Avicolli's dinner menu features twenty-one different bottled beers including Saranac, Moretti, and Nordic. They also have an extensive wine list including eight California brands, three Italian brands, and a handful of other American brands. Most Avicolli's wines are available by the glass ($7) or bottle ($25) while others are available only by the bottle ($45 to $80) and can be reserved ahead of time.